Wednesday, April 16, 2014

5:24 PM

Wisconsin's House delegation is questioning plans by federal officials to address a backlog in veterans claims.

In a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Erik Shinseki, the lawmakers express concern that Wisconsin veterans could be adversely affected by DVA's transition to a "National Work Queue," in which Milwaukee's DVA office would be forced to take on claims from out-of-state offices with less successful track records.

They note that claims classified as backlogged -- delayed more than 125 days -- nearly doubled between May and September of 2013 as the Milwaukee office took on additional cases.

"Our Wisconsin Veterans are lucky to have a devoted team of VA employees that work hard to keep up with the demand of casework," the lawmakers write. "However, we are concerned about the priority out Veterans will receive as the NWQ is implemented."

DVA officials said earlier this month that the claims backlog dropped by 44 percent in March compared to March of 2013.